17 boulder and stone retaining walls

Pictures of stone and boulder retaining walls

Thinking about building a boulder retaining wall in your yard, talk to the experts at Southview Design.

A stone wall doesn't have to mean round boulders. And note how the steps match the wall.

The stone steps through the boulder retaining wall allows access to the lower part of the yard and the lake.

Natural stone steps tie in with the glacial boulder retaining wall and the dry creek bed - completing the design. Try to imagine this picture without the steps.

Angular boulders, artfully installed and enhanced by flowers and shrubs, create a focal point in this landsdcape.

This large boulder retaining wall is necessary to create a level area in this yard for a swimming pool. Without it, no swimming pool.

A smaller boulder wall creates two nearly level areas in the front yard instead of one large expanse of grass. Note how the color in the boulders complements the color of the brick on the house.

Formal or informal - plants will soften the most angular stone walls.

Without the plants and trees, you can see the "bare-bones" of the boulder retaining walls. Once planted, the fence disappears, and the backyard and woods blend together to create a private nature conservancy - complete with waterfalls and a stream.

Taking advantage of a sloped backyard, the stream seems to come right out of the woods. The entire area has filled in with plants and flowers, in the last few years, to create a seamless panorama of nature.

Not just for the backyard, boulder walls and stone steps anchor the front entry of this home.

Providing support for the driveway, this boulder wall does the job in an informal way. Care should be taken to preserve the trees.

Boulder walls and stone steps can make the transitional space between the upper and lower yards easy to move through.